Although last week's ruling that Graham is not a wide receiver lends leverage to the Saints, there has been no public acknowledgment from the tight end's camp that he's willing to accept less money than his production merits.

Retired tight end and future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez has provided insight into Graham's predicament, pointing out that the NFL is the only major professional sport league in which salaries are slotted by position.

"I can think of a few terms to describe what's going on in the NFL, like 'backward,' 'lack of common sense' or 'behind the times,'" Gonzalez wrote on CBSSports.com, "but the one that makes the most sense is 'discrimination.' Salaries should be set based on production and contributions, not positions."